Online blackjack in 2018

Published February 25, 2015Updated January 02 , 2018

There are a number of things to take into consideration when you play real money blackjack online. Does the casino site cater to players from your country? Is it regulated by an independent body? What jurisdiction is it based in? What is its reputation like? The online casinos we promote on this website are all respected, secure venues where games are plentiful and payouts are prompt – you can read our detailed reviews to find out more about what each blackjack site has to offer.

USA online blackjack sites

The USA may have some of the strictest online gambling laws in the world (despite certain US states which have started to distribute their own online casino licenses), but this does not mean there aren’t options available to play online blackjack at foreign-run casino. It may take a little digging around, but there are reputable online casinos that accept American players and welcome the US dollar. Some of the top-rated US-facing casinos include BetOnline and Bovada, which both offer a range of online blackjack variants including live dealer games.

To make deposits using USD you will have several options including Visa and other credit cards, bank transfers, online payment services and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, with payment options varying at different sites. Find out more about online casino sites for American players.

House edge for online 21

Unlike other games, blackjack is one where the odds of winning can differ significantly from table to table, venue to venue. This is also true when you play 21 online, but with a key difference: you don’t have to put up with bad rules.

Unless you’re a card counter, the vast majority of blackjack casinos online offer better bang for your buck than a traditional gaming establishment. This is certainly the case with land-based Australian casinos, where it’s almost impossible nowadays to find an affordable table with a house edge of less than 0.60 per cent.

With online 21, on the other hand, it’s like the good old days of Vegas have come round again. You can always find versions that favour the house by less than 0.50 per cent with correct blackjack strategy, while a special few come with almost no margin at all. We certainly recommend Classic Blackjack Gold by Microgaming, where perfect composition-based play brings the house edge down to only 0.09 per cent.

Blackjack strategy

Blackjack is one of the casino games you can minimise the house edge through smart strategic play. The ability to calculate the best options quickly when you are on the casino floor or playing online is absolutely crucial to walking away a winner or at the very least cutting back on losses.

Knowing simple strategy which in reality is common sense helps you to become a better blackjack player. By simple strategy we are talking about knowing whether you should hit or stand in any given scenario. We must stress that this doesn’t necessarily mean you will walk away a winner, it simply makes sure you are playing the game at the nominated house edge.

There are other things a blackjack player should know, just through common sense, like making sure you always split Aces. Or making heads or tails of whether you should take insurance.

Live dealer blackjack

Live dealer 21 gives you an authentic casino experience from the comfort of your own home. Games are dealt by real people, in real time, while you watch everything unfold via HD video streaming on your desktop, laptop, or mobile device. The technology of live dealer casinos is so advanced that you can even interact with your croupier and chat to other players if you’re playing in a multiplayer room.

One of the great advantages of live online blackjack is the range of table limits available. Some games can be played for as little as $0.50 per hand, while the VIP editions can accept maximum bets as high as $20,000. Good luck finding that kind of flexibility on the main floor of a brick-and-mortar casino.

Our trusted online blackjack casinos use some of the world’s leading live dealer providers, including Evolution Gaming, Ezugi, Microgaming and Net Entertainment. These operators employ conventional blackjack rules for most of their games, with a house edge varying from around 0.45 to 0.65 per cent with basic strategy. That’s at least as good value for money as the games at land-based Aussie casinos, and without the extortionate parking rates, overpriced refreshments and other unnecessary expenses.

Mobile blackjack websites

Due to Australian gambling legislation, there are few real money casino apps available for download. However, most online casinos have outstanding mobile websites which give players access to an ever-expanding range of games via smartphones and tablets.

Our top-ranked mobile casinos stock some of the most popular Internet blackjack titles for online 21 enthusiasts. These include Microgaming favourites such as Classic Blackjack Gold and European Blackjack Gold, as well as NetEnt Touch versions of Blackjack Pro and Single Deck Blackjack. Some sites, including Guts.com, also offer live croupier tables for mobile.

To play real blackjack games on your smartphone or tablet, you just need a compatible device with a HTML5-ready Web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. The best mobile blackjack sites are optimised for play on all major operating systems, including Apple iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android (Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC, Motorola, etc.), BlackBerry and Windows Phone.

Online blackjack – An overview

Blackjack has come a long way from just being offered in casinos around the world; with the advent if online games in the mid 1990s, it changed the way we would play this simple game forever. For a long time it was available but it was only a few savvy enough with the internet and aware of it that played. Having said this it was obviously still profitable.

Over time, as technology improved, gambling companies sprung up that attacked the online world and pumped millions of dollars into developing better gaming platforms and new variations of blackjack. And as more and more people became accustomed with the online world more began to play at online casinos.

Today we can play blackjack with live dealers streaming into our lounge room via our smart TVs, we can play on our laptops, our computers and virtual reality headsets. We can even play blackjack on our smartphones via a 4G connection for high stakes real money if we want.

How to play online blackjack for real money

The following table shows the top three online casinos featuring blackjack in your country. We will generally prioritise a casino with live dealer blackjack over one with only RNG titles. For further information about the blackjack games and the casino on offer at each follow the review link.

Table limits at online casino sites come down to the casino you have chosen to play at, unless you are playing in a heavily regulated environment like the United Kingdom, which may impose uniform upper table limits to stop huge losses. Having said that the table limits available online are adequate for most.

Online blackjack regulation

Before you even think about making a deposit at an online casino, you need to make sure it is properly licensed in a recognised regulatory jurisdiction. Otherwise, you could be throwing your hard-earned cash down the drain. That’s why we only endorse secure blackjack sites that hold licenses from trusted offshore gambling bodies such as Curacao eGaming, the Malta Gambling Authority and the UK Gambling Commission.

The very best online casinos are also subject to third-party testing and game auditing by industry watchdogs such as eCOGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). If a gambling website boasts the eCOGRA Seal of Approval on its homepage, then you know it meets the highest standards for player safety, game fairness and honest operation.

Most live dealer blackjack studios will also fall under this type of supervision, although the rules of it will come down to where they hold licensing. For instance if you are in the UK the laws governing live dealer casinos will be much stricter, than if for instance, you are playing in Curacao. At the end of the day though it will come down to the site you are playing at – always make sure they have a good reputation and positive reviews.

Real money Blackjack variants

As with most games that have been around for a long time, blackjack has many different variations that have spawned over the years – some more popular than others. The general rule is that each variation goes up to 21 still, but there are bonus triggers or quirks in the rules that change up the game play. Some very popular variants include Perfect Pairs and Pontoon. NB: OnlineCasinoSite.com’s blackjack information section is expanding all the time and we are constantly adding new titles to this list.

Triple and 7s blackjack

Vegas Downtown

Big 5 Blackjack

Red Dog Blackjack

Match Play 21

Face Up 21

Stravaganza

Multi-Hand blackjack

Crazy Blackjack

21 Duel Blackjack

Blackjack Surrender

High Streak Blackjack

European Blackjack

Perfect Pairs

21st Century blackjack

Double Attack

Chinese Blackjack

Multiple Action Blackjack

Pontoon

Vegas Strip

Blackjack Switch

Double Exposure Blackjack

Spanish 21

Super Fun 21

Deposit and withdrawal options at blackjack casinos

It is next to impossible to to describe all the various deposit methods at online casinos available all over the world because there are so many. If you are looking to play blackjack online in developed countries like the UK, Australia and many Scandanavian countries its as simple as using a credit card or Visa card, or many other ways.

All of the virtual casinos we recommend utilise at least a 128-bit Secure Socket Layer digital encryptions (SSL). This is the same technology many major banks use for their online operations, so you can be sure your money and personal details are safe.

Online players can choose from a number of secure deposit methods when playing real cash blackjack online. These include credit card and debit cards, bank transfers and money wires, direct online banking, e-wallets and pre-paid vouchers. Our approved sites only use the most respected transaction services, including Visa, MasterCard, Skrill, Neteller, Flexepin, Paysafecard and many other country-specific payment systems.

While many of the aforementioned options support instant deposits, withdrawals can take several business days. Along with standard bank processing times, this is because casinos are required to confirm the customer’s identity to prevent against fraud and money laundering. However, many leading online casinos now offer same-day cashouts for verified players. We recommend you read the banking terms and conditions of your chosen online casino before you make your first payment to make sure you know what their deposit and withdrawal policies are.